For Once We're At Peace

Chapter 5

"Lin!" Vanessa Nadal, Lin's beautiful wife and mother of their son Sebastian, called from their living room. Lin came in, thinking something was dreadfully wrong. There was, but it wasn't with Sebastian or Vanessa. "Look at this." She then turned on the TV, the news channel being up with the words 'Breaking News' flashing across the bottom part of the screen as the news reporter talked. Lin sat down, Sebastian crawling into his lap.

"Breaking news just in," the news reporter started, "with renovations of the Schuyler Mansion in Albany, New York, new letters have been found within the walls of the old building addressed to Alexander Hamilton from Esperanza Washington-Hamilton, dated after his death."

Lin's heart plummeted, knowing how Esper would feel with this knowledge out to the public. Although Lin loved the media at times, sometimes they really should consider feelings. Then again, it wasn't like it was public knowledge that Esperanza Washington-Hamilton was alive and well inside the body of a sixteen-year-old girl.

"The letters don't contain much," the reporter continued. "Merely descriptions of things that happened after Hamilton's tragic death in 1804. Each letter ends off with 'Forever yours, Ranza Hamilton'. The letters are being examined and then will be moved to the Smithsonian museum where the public will be able to read them."

Vanessa switched the TV off, looking over to Lin who was glaring angrily at the screen. "Lin, you need to tell her." She murmured, the man nodding as he placed Sebastian in his wife's arms and shot off to the theatre, running as fast as he could. I need to tell her, he thought as he ran through the busy streets of NYC. She won't be happy.

Upon arrival, Lin was slightly out of breath as he rushed into the theatre, intent on finding Esperanza. He soon did, hearing the sound of her voice, and rushed in, probably looking extremely panicked and concerned at the same time. "Lin?" Leslie asked, he, Daveed, and Oak rising from their sitting positions to try to get a better look at the 5"7 man.

"Have any of you checked the news?" They glanced at each other before shaking their heads and looking back at him. The Puerto Rican man sighed, pulling out his phone, and showing the news article to the five people who currently occupied the break room.

"Shit." Seth swore, eyes wide before sneaking a glance to Esperanza. Esperanza was frozen, heart beating erratically as she tried to process what this meant. Sure, nothing in those letters she had written after Alexander's death were provocative, but it was her coping mechanism. She did the same with all of her friends who died, even Jefferson after he had passed in 1826. "What are we going to do?"

"I'm not sure there's much we can do," she replied, turning to the window, and watching the busy streets of New York City, of her Alexi's New York City, below her. "The public are unaware that I am who I am, and they won't believe it so easily. Besides, there's nothing provocative in any one of those letters, merely descriptions of weather, of sunset and sunrise, of dusk and dawn. If they are in the Smithsonian, I know they will be looked after well."

"But do you really want them to be put there?" Lin asked, walking to stand beside her, reminding her of the dawn before Alexander's fatal duel with his lifelong friend Aaron Burr. The two had been stood by the window in their bedroom, watching as the sun rose over their beloved city, basking the buildings in beautiful red, orange, and yellow hues.

"Not really," she replied, turning to look at the man who would give Alexander's legacy a new life. "But how on earth would I get them back? I'd have to reveal myself. Not only that, but the public would also want proof that I am who I say I am."

"You're not wrong there, but there is a way to prove that. Schools don't teach in depth telling's of the American Revolution. That should be proof enough!" Daveed pointed out, Oak and Leslie nodding beside him.

"Very well," she conceded, contacting the officials who were examining the letters about the situation. In the end, Esper had decided against informing the public about her being who she really was until the play premiered on Broadway properly.

About an hour or so later, an official came to the theatre to prove that Esperanza was who she said she was. After realising he was, indeed, talking to the real Founding Mother Esperanza Washington-Hamilton, he handed over the bundle of letters, apologising profusely for allowing the media to catch wind of the letters being found. Esper dismissed his apology, explaining there was no apology needed and that he had her thanks. The official soon left, sending out the memo that the letters had, instead, been passed on to a direct descendant of Esperanza Washington-Hamilton herself and that they would be better protected with them than in the Smithsonian museum.

"Could you read one to us?" Emmy asked. The rest of the cast and performers had arrived a few minutes after the Official so had seen the whole interaction, or some of them had seen the end of the interaction. Nodding, Esperanza pulled out one of the earlier ones she had written and began to read it.

"My dearest, Alexi, the sun rises as a canopy of gold, bright amid the blue, bidding the stars to take their nightly rest. As darkness surrenders, every colour changes from tinges of charcoal to a vibrancy. There are days I wonder what we give in return for such gifts of divine magic; perhaps it is our love, perhaps we radiate it into space; perhaps that is our connection to creation beyond the borders of our world, our reality. Perhaps inside I too am gold, a bright flame that burns for another kind. For me, that's a thought as warm as any bright new day, one that tickles my mind as much as my heart. I will always love you, my love. Forever yours, Ranza Hamilton." She read, tears in her eyes as she finished. Jasmine noticed, wrapping her in a hug when, all of a sudden, an ice-cold breeze enveloped them.

"Holy... did it just get ice-cold here?" Jasmine asked as both girls gained goosebumps, the hairs on their arms standing on end. Esperanza nodded, feeling the same thing. Oh, how she wished it were Alexander, or her beloved children. Alas, she knew they were resting beyond the grave, waiting for her. They wouldn't get hung up over her enough to follow her to the living once more anyway.

"Yeah, it's gone now, though," Esper pointed out, feeling drained of any energy she had left. after visiting the graves of her friends and family the day before, as well as reading the earliest letter she had written after Hamilton's death, she was absolutely and utterly drained. Noticing, Chris placed a blanket on top of her, Jasmine pulling the fifteen-year-old close to her chest as she slowly fell asleep.

"We have a spare bed upstairs," murmured Morgan, another performer, as Oak picked the girl up and followed Morgan to the bed where he gently set her down, tucking her in. He went to leave when he stopped, turning back, and noticing the man lying beside his niece. He had the same skin tone as Lin, only with auburn hair.

"Thank you," hewhispered as he faded away. Holy shit,thought Oak as he left the room. Did Ijust see who I think I just saw? Fuck me.